Jazz at the Centre continues its inaugural seasonwith a performance by the legendary ensemble The Cookers featuring Billy Harper, David Weiss, Dr. Eddie Henderson, Donald Harrison, George Cables, Cecil McBee, and Billy Hart.The concert takes place on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. at the Northwest Activities Center in Detroit.

Jazz at the Centre's 2013-14 concert season continues to boast a diverse range of artistry and embodies the concept "all jazz is modern." Through a roster of world-class, internationally renowned jazz artists hosted in the acoustically magnificent Paul Robeson Theater, the series is meant to be a bridge between the artistry of the Detroit Jazz Festival and the superior acoustic properties of Orchestra Hall.

"The Cookers, without question, is one of the finest ensembles working in Jazz today. Jazz at the Centre is extremely proud to present this group of fabulous musicians in a very special one night performance. We believe that this concert will be a high point in our inaugural season and our audience will thoroughly enjoy hearing these great musicians in a very intimate concert setting" says Managing and Artistic Director for Jazz at the Centre, Skip Norris. This concert is easily the high point of the fall Jazz season"

The Cookers feature some of the greatest soloists in the history of jazz and this concert marks their third appearance in Detroit since the group was formed more than five years ago.

Tenor saxophonist Billy Harper is recognized as one of the most distinctive players in the history of the idiom. Harper has worked with everyone from Lee Morgan to McCoy Tyner. David Weiss is easily one of the best arrangers in jazz and fronts a number of bands that stretch the boundaries of the music from end to end. Dr. Eddie Henderson has been a major trumpet influence who has shared the bandstands of Herbie Hancock, Art Blakey and Pharaoh Sanders. Altoist Gary Bartz is a well know sound in the jazz and pop worlds. Donald Brown was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and a founder member of the Harrison/Blanchard Quintet. George Cables is easily one of the influential pianists to have worked in jazz the last 40 years. A veteran of both Freddie Hubbard and Bobby Hutcherson's groups, Cables is a first rate composer and soloist. Cecil McBee is simply one of the top bassists in jazz today. Born in Detroit, Michigan, McBee is a global force who has fired up bandstands led by influential players like Chico Freeman and Joanne Brackeen. Billy Hart is one of the most influential drummers of the last 50 years. At age 73, Billy Hart works steadily and teaches widely. Since the early 1990s, Hart spends considerable time at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and is an adjunct professor at the New England Conservatory of Music and Western Michigan University.

Tickets for this event are available at brownpapertickets.com/THE COOKERS